Anonymous Uses KKK's Own Twitter Account to Brand Them 'America's Homegrown Terrorist Group'

Hacktivist group Anonymous has called the Ku Klux Klan "America's homegrown terrorist group", as it weighs up whether or not to leak the details of those behind an official Twitter account it has seized control of.

Using an official KKK Twitter account which it took control of on Sunday, the online activist group issued an updated statement on what it plans to do with information it has gleaned from direct messages to the account.

Based on the Direct Messages sent and received to @KuKluxKlanUSA, we can confirm an official member of the Loyal White Knights of the KKK operated the account. Through the Klan's Twitter account, we have obtained large amounts of information of multiple white supremacists, along with the operator of the account. The members of Anonymous who seized the account are continuing to debate if the identities of the people associated with the Klan's Twitter should be released to the public.

The hacktivist group came in for some criticism following its attacks on KKK websites, with some claiming it was hindering freedom of speech. Addressing this point, the group said:

Anonymous stands for freedom, so why would we strip someone of his or her freedom of speech? The Ku Klux Klan is a terrorist group. The blood of thousands of human beings are on the hands of Klansmen. In most Anonymous members' eyes, the KKK no longer has the right to express their racist, bigoted opinions.

Having tweeted its updated statement, those now in control of the @KuKluxKlanUSA Twitter account then tweeted a picture of a unicorn:

#OpKKK

Anonymous on Sunday took control of several Twitter accounts relating to the KKK, and told IBTimes UK that it also has control of several email accounts relating to them and was preparing to publish documents pertaining to the far right group.

The group began the #OperationKKK campaign after a local KKK group distributed leaflets in Ferguson, Missouri threatening to take "lethal force" against any protestors in the aftermath of an expected announcement from the Grand Jury regarding the shooting dead of teenager Mike Brown in the town by police officer Darren Wilson last August.

On Tuesday evening, Governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency in Missouri, giving rise to predictions that the controversial grand jury decision about whether or not to charge Wilson will be announced in the coming days.

"Sounds to me like a bunch of kids in their mom's basement"

It has been predicted by some (without any concrete evidence it should be pointed out) that Wilson will not face any charges when the grand jury decision is announced, which could spark a return to scenes of violence and racial tension which following the shooting in Ferguson in August.

On Monday night, Frank Ancona, the imperial wizard of the Traditionalist American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, told the Daily News, "Sounds to me like a bunch of kids in their mom's basement whacking off."

Previously Anonymous revealed that Ancona was a police officer and the person responsible for penning the letter on the flyer distributed in Ferguson. He was also shown attending a rally in support for Darren Wilson.

Anonymous' statement in full reads:

As many of you already know, this past week Anonymous has launched an attack on America's homegrown terrorist group known as the Ku Klux Klan. Anonymous took action after Klan members promised to use 'lethal force' against peaceful protesters in Ferguson, Missouri," the statement reads.

OpKKK (#HoodsOff) was then launched. Members of our group revealed identities of Klan members and Klan websites have been DDoSed," it continued, referencing Distributed Denial of Service attacks that are used to interrupt service of web sites and other avenues of communication by overloading the server. Anonymous then took to Twitter. With warning, Anonymous took control of what was believed as the official Ku Klux Klan Twitter account (@KuKluxKlanUSA).

Before going any further, we'd like to address our idea of freedom. After exposing Klan members and seizing the Klan's web sites and Twitter accounts, Anonymous members faced much criticism regarding freedom. Anonymous stands for freedom, so why would we strip someone of his or her freedom of speech? The Ku Klux Klan is a terrorist group. The blood of thousands of human beings are on the hands of Klansmen. In most Anonymous' members eyes, the KKK no longer has the right to express their racist, bigoted opinions.

Moving on to the main topic, the Klan's Twitter account. Based on the Direct Messages sent and received to @KuKluxKlanUSA, we can confirm an official member of the Loyal White Knights of the KKK operated the account. Through the Klan's Twitter account, we have obtained large amounts of information of multiple white supremacists, along with the operator of the account. The members of Anonymous who seized the account are continuing to debate if the identities of the people associated with the Klan's Twitter should be released to the public.

The debate has risen as we are not completely sure how much of a connection many of the people have to the KKK. We want to ensure we are ousting the right people. It would be against everything Anonymous does if we publicly released information of the innocent," the statement continues. "As for the account itself, we will leave it untouched as it could lead to more information that could contribute to #OpKKK. Once the operation is considered a complete success, we will remove the account from Twitter. What was accomplished on 16 NOV 2014 is just the beginning of #OpKKK," the group promised. Anonymous has plenty more work to do. To the men and women representing Anonymous in Ferguson, make us proud. Show the world why Anonymous is the most united legion on this planet.